Brave Clash
by KG Entertainment Division
Summary: Inspired by Screw Attack's series Death Battle, Brave Clash details a variety of 'what-if' battles between all kinds of units, I analyze their weapons, skills, and abilities to determine who would win in a fight, some come on in, check it out!
1. The Clash of Demons

_Inspiration for the story comes from Screw Attack's 'Death Battle' series_

 _Clash of Demons_

 _RRRRRAAAAAAAGA!_

 _ **VS.**_

 _RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZE!_

 **Introduction**

Two demons birthed by the hellish and brutal plane that is Ishgria. Raaga, the master martial artist who committed himself to defeating all the greatest warriors in Ishgria in single combat, and Rize, a demon of such terrifying power that she leaves a dying trail of demons in her wake without ever needing to fight. Both demons of unspeakable power, revered in their times. I'm Varthan, and it's my job to analyze their skills, weapons, and weaknesses to find out who would win, in a Brave Clash!

 **LET'S MEET THE COMBATANTS!**

 **Demon Champion Raaga**

" _I'll crush any who get in my way! Wha- Shusui, what did I tell you? Students do not touch my weapons, they fetch me food and shut their mouths!"_

Born a demon from the hellish plane of Ishgria, Raaga is a man driven by an endless, fierce desire for battle. Ever seeking to grow stronger, Raaga challenged countless opponents in his youth, earning him great renown among the demons of Ishgria as the God of Martial Arts, suggesting that he is naturally adept at hand to hand...to hand to hand...to hand...to hand combat. Yeah I can definitely see that. Early on in his life he turned from martial arts to those arts devoted to weaponry, beginning to amass an infinitely growing pool of different weapons in order to develop his skills with all of them, presumably he's just that good. Eternally devoted to his craft, Raaga came to master every weapon he could put his hands on, relentlessly seeking stronger and stronger opponents in Ishgria to perfect these weapons, some survived his transition from newbie to master, others were dropped, and Raaga slowly realized his favored fighting styles. Eventually it came to pass that Raaga had lain low all worthy opponents in Ishgria, until he found a student... but that's another story.

 **Debriefing**

So let's break this apart into his leader skill, brave bursts, and extra skill. That's right, this series is gonna get meta. So, between all these abilities, Raaga really...really...like, REALLY likes sparking. Probably enough that, for the sake of argument, he could spark with himself. Now we can easily translate this into saying that Raaga favors combos in combat, seeking to drive his opponents into a corner by not giving them a moment to defend themselves. His regular brave burst, (probably self-)named, Champion's Flourish, has the added bonus of increasing the drop rate of heart and brave crystals, which I take to meaning an extravagant display more than an attack, meant to destroy the morale of his enemy and bolster his own spirits in combat. His super brave burst, Vermilion Incandescence, merely continues with the affinity for sparking that he possesses. Now, his Ultimate is where things get interesting, Divine Penance: 108 Kleshas, now I did a bit of research and the implications are quite surprising.

Now from this, Raaga at first presents himself as one of the Buddhist faith, liberating himself of the Kleshas, or 'poisons' of the mind, thus attaining the purity of self and realization of his own inner evils, permitting him to massively increase his own abilities and destroy those that stand before him. And indeed this may still be the case with this ability, but Raaga's no Buddhist, in fact, he's the physical embodiment of one of the five primary Kleshas of Buddhism, known by the same name, Raga, or attachment. It holds that a person possesses fixation, pursuit of a singular goal almost mindlessly, for accomplishment of these goals provides pleasure, and one will desperately seek that pleasure, only to grow bored of something once it ceases to please. Suddenly Raaga's pursuit of weapons is not merely him attempting to beat the life out of everything with a warm body and a heartbeat, but an addiction, a _need_ for mastery of something, once he's mastered a weapon, he loses interest in it, drops it, once he's beaten an opponent, he now knows the basis of what he can defeat, and fighting anything less will no longer be an accomplishment. So this eventually drives him to seek a student, somebody he could show his mastery to, to seek the new, vicarious pleasure of an apprentice learning from him.

Okay, but that's quite enough of that, let's examine his arsenal. Raaga's going to be a very unique case due to his, extensive arms. For his armaments. I'll leave now.

So, firstly is a fairly simple one, the broadsword. Plenty of weighty steel in this one, able to cut through just about anything save for the toughest armors, not particularly good for stabbing, but that's not much of an issue with the rest of the arsenal.

Next up, the hatchet. Excellent weapon for chopping obviously, similar to the broadsword it'll take quite a strong arm to wield effectively, especially one handed like Raaga does, a simple yet elegant means to show just how much raw strength this demon possesses. It carries enough weight to bite into even steel armor. It doesn't require quite a lot to learn how to use this weapon, but it's versatile enough that mastery likely eludes Raaga, as it can prove useful in quite a number of situations.

Beyond these we reach a much smaller weapon, a simple dagger, now this particular blade is crafted with a single edge, the steel angled in such a way that it won't be used for cutting like a traditional knife, but rather for being driven upwards into targets, which is why he holds it so low to the ground. This would see the knife as specialized specifically for driving up beneath an opponent's armor, or simply to catch an enemy off guard. At close and grappling range the knife could also be used for traditional stabbing at any exposed vitals, which Raaga could easily locate given his many arms.

After this we get into some more complicated weapons, first and foremost, the tekko-kagi, or tiger claws, comprised of curved metal nails attached to an oval ring that the user grips, it was originally utilized as a farming implement, a kind of sickle for tearing up weeds, but in the case of combat can be used very effectively both offensively and defensively. The separate nails ensure that there is space that can be used to effectively capture an opponent's weapon and tangle it, rendering the enemy open to attack by any of his other implements. Alternatively the weapon can be used to claw at enemies, either at their face or their weapon arms, both inflicting grizzly, stunning wounds that would open the enemy up for a killing blow.

Then there is the rapier-like sword that he holds in his upper left hand (top right in his unit art), we can't actually seem to identify this blade as it has a number of unique features to it, but the purpose to it can be fairly easily discerned. It possess a straight blade with a single edge, the fact that he holds it higher than any of his other weapons implies that it's used for overhead strikes. However it can also be used for stabbing at enemies, and two indentations on either side of the blade by the pommel indicate that it will be used primarily for resolving clashes with an opponent's sword, catching the blade and providing Raaga with plenty of leverage to wrench the weapon from his opponent's grasp or to keep them ensnared.

Finally there is the trident that he uses, one of his most persistent weapons. The trident is typically built as tall as a man, and is meant to be used against unarmored foes, striking quickly and precisely from a distance, which goes against the rest of his arsenal which is composed of weapons specializing in close range combat, suggesting that Raaga has yet to fully master it despite it being his most persistent weapon, in fact it might be for that exact reason that he keeps it, that mastery eludes him, and he refuses to cease working with other weapons to focus on it, regardless of the fact that they all possess very different uses. The slots between each of the three prongs are built to capture enemy weapons, and to provide the leverage needed to tear it away, although this would require a two-handed grip, which Raaga has decided he's too cool for.

Now, something to consider, all of these weapons certainly befit our diagnosis that Raaga prefers to enter into close range with his weapons and overwhelm his opponent with combos, but, these weapons don't synergize. While yes, all of these weapons with the exception of the trident are suited to close combat, they all have different ranges, thus limiting what can be used at any given time, so it's not very likely that at any given time he'd realistically be fighting with all six out. Raaga gains his exceptional battle prowess by his Extra Skill, Divine Art's Path, which doubles his hit count, again we can look at this as just an attempt to rush his opponent and burn them down quickly by sheer ferocity.

Overall though, Raaga is a force to be reckoned with, not one to be taken lightly, he alone managed to defeat every worthy demon in Ishgria in his time, which shows that he is a being of incredible power and skill, skill that grows by the day as he keeps learning new methods to fight and kill. He is a living weapon, and will stop at nothing to win.

 **Flaring Massacre Rize**

 _"I have no interest in any other beings. Having interest in anything at all makes no sense."_

The demon Rize, a being of boundless power, uninterested in the petty squabbles of her peers, and in battle or conquest, she was an enigma, living a life without passion. However, there was a single demon, as the legends go, that she despised with an overwhelming hatred, and that she considered to be a mortal enemy. Now Rize was passed over in Raaga's conquest, time periods in Ishgria are extremely tentative, but it can be assumed that they came from different timelines, so they never battled one another. But what if they did? What if that mortal enemy, _was_ Raaga? What would the outcome be? Would Raaga slay her like the rest? Or would Rize show him what power truly is?

 **STOP! META TIME**

Alright, now it's high time to break down her abilities. Her leader skill, Cupid's Divine Power, focuses on raw strength, as well as increasing the drop rate of HC. Now her abilities do allow for a flat heal, albeit one that occurs over time, so it can be said that Rize possesses a naturally enhanced healing factor. Her extra skill, Cataclysmic Impulse, works hand in hand with this, when her health is full, she's vastly stronger. Her Brave Burst, Radia Velocity, provides the flat heal over time, and is an attack focused on a single target, this will set the stage for her to utilize the rest of her abilities to their fullest, and will likely be her opener. Her Super Brave Burst, Revelia Familia, is an attack predicated entirely on her health, the more health she has, the harder this strike hits, additionally this lends her the added bonus of ignore defense, we can fairly easily say that this is an attack that bulls through any blocking or defense the enemy can muster, striking directly. However, her close link to her life force as dependent on her abilities can be very detrimental, as it means that she will at some point begin to burn out when she can no longer maintain her healing factor, and when she does she will burn out quickly. Her Ultimate Brave Burst, Vertex, follows the same pattern, dealing maximum damage only when her health is at its fullest.

So we clearly see that Rize is a being bent entirely towards obliteration, getting in, and nuking her opponents down quickly so as to avoid any possible retaliation before she burns out. Now, let's see if her arsenal matches up with this.

Firstly in Rize's repertoire, is her simple cane, now I know what you're thinking, that it's just for flair, it's a gold stick with a ruby in it, which it is, however, this cane seconds as a weapon. Just look at the handle, the way she holds it, not from the very top pointing it down like she needs it for walking, nor from beneath the handle like she's trying to make a show of having it, no, she holds it at her side in a very specific way. Even looking at the handle, the shape of the gold doesn't fit to the remainder of the actual cane, which all points towards this actually being a cane sword, a concealed weapon within an unassuming sheathe essentially. Given the rest of her powers, and the way that in her actual attack animation, she holds it behind herself, always beneath her robes, she wants it to be used as a last ditch effort, and she makes every measure to ensure that her opponent doesn't know about it. However, that being said, it's obviously not something that she uses quite a lot, and will likely only be used once her own powers fail her, a point which won't come until she's at the end of her ropes already, so she will rely solely on the element of surprise to use this effectively.

But let's steer away from the mortal weapons now, let's observe her demonic arsenal. For this, we have the two conduits for her powers, two little creatures at her beck and call, sentient stone in the form of demonic imps, one very tiny and extremely agile, the other a hulking brute, both held together by a nucleus of electrical power in their head that they stem and grow from across her three forms. Now the larger of the two always stays by her side, and directs her attacks, all the electrical power she releases moves through this one, subsequently the smaller imp zips around and directs the current, its extreme speed and small stature meaning that it always strikes where the enemy is most vulnerable. From her attack animations, it's made clear that despite the fact that Rize orders these creatures, they are independent beings with their own will, and will operate separately from their mistress unless instructed otherwise. They obviously possess an incredible synergy, one will cover the other if they are ever in danger, and truly they prove that they make up the muscle of the trio, and do it very well.

Alright, so now we've met the combatants, and have seen examples of their exceptional powers and the results of it. So now, let's take it down into the battlefield, and see how they stack up, ladies and gents, it's tiiiiime for a Brave Clash!

 **Rules**

The Battles fought in the Summoner's Arena have several stipulations to ensure that all combatants are represented fairly and evenly.

All buffs from regular and super brave bursts are considered permanent for the sake of the fight unless stated otherwise, as 'turns' can't be realistically gauged

Neither combatant is equipped with a sphere unless their extra skill or lore orients them towards one in particular

Stats are largely considered equivalent barring any spheres that meet the above criteria, or buffs from brave bursts or extra skills.

Extent of each unit's powers (i.e Farlon's abilities with magic) are up for interpretation, they will be attempted to be portrayed in the most reasonable manner befitting each individual.

 **That's about it for now, so let's get to the fight!**

The roar of the crowd was thunderous, the air charged with excitement as the demons of Ishgria gathered in Oguro's Court for the long awaited battle. The court was commissioned by the old demon to mete out honorable single combat between demons. It was modeled after one of the grand colosseum of the humans of Grand Gaia that had been observed during the last great invasion. It's high walls were built of black and red stone, and today it found itself full to bursting, as two demon titans, both feared and revered by all, had gathered to finally battle one another face to face.

A tiny, winged dragon fluttered up to perch itself upon the Demon King's balcony. The sagely old demon smiled at the little creature, handing it a small scroll, which the gold scaled demon took with a slight bow. The drakling unfurled the parchment, fixing a monocle over its left eye, then breathed an enormous pillar of flame into the air. The sheer force of the sudden eruption blew several demons back in their seats, silencing the court instantly.

"Ahem," it cleared its throat, "Welcome, demons of Ishgria!" The whole court roared their enthusiasm, bloodlust in their eyes. "The contestants have been gathered! The battle shall be to concession!" The cheers suddenly dissolved to a thunder of boo's, the dragon raised its hands for silence. "OR DEATH! LET'S SEE THE CONTESTANTS!" Applause and whistles, demons roaring and spraying gouts of acid and flame into the sky to voice their excitement.

At the dragon's words, two heavy chain gates began to rise at either end of the arena, the combatants striding out to even more cheers, heading towards the center of the open field beneath the stands. The dragon glanced at the scroll in its hands now, scanning it briefly. "'On the east end, the God of Martial Arts himself, RAAAAAAGAAAAA!'" About half of the demons, all evenly scattered about the court, took up to cheering on their favored demon. "'And on the west end, the dark beauty herself, RIIIIIIIIIIIIZE!" The other half rose and took up the cheer for their champion. " **FIIIIGHT!"**

….

"Ah, Miss Rize, I've been waiting for this," Raaga exclaimed, stretching out both arms, clutching a broadsword in one and a hatchet in the other.

"I'm sure it's a pleasure. Hmm!" Rize looked faintly surprised, raising both eyebrows. "Now would you look at that, you're an eight!"

"Oh why thank you, I _did_ do my hair differently this morning and-"

"Oh ho ho ho-no. No you're about as ugly as sin, I'm sorry I should've clarified, I rate my opponent's' power levels, it's something of a hobby really."

"Well, rude. Still, eight's plenty go-"

"I myself rate an eight and a half, and my associates, MUMBO! JUMBO!" At her will, the ground around her seemed to liquify, swirling in a golden, earthy whirlpool. Two shapes rose up from the pool, one great hulking brute of brown stone, the other a red, crystalline imp wielding a spear nearly twice its body in length, both lacked any facial features, save for a large, pulsing orb of electrical power at their center. "They are both sevens." Raaga whistled. "And another thing, I was lead to believe that you were the infamous six-armed demon Raaga."

"Oh well, you know when you're as fast as I am, stories tend to circulate," he explained with a coy smile.

"I see, well then I suppose I'll just have to eradicate you quickly and find the real one."

"Well, this oughta be interest-"

" **FIIIIGHT!"**

The little imp, Mumbo apparently, zoomed at him, immediately attempting to impale Raaga with that wicked spear of his. "Ekthcuuuuuuuuthe me thir," it offered, its voice distractingly high pitched, "have youuuuuuuuu ever conthidered living life with a thpear in youuuuuuur chestht?" Raaga growled, swiping at it angrily with both broadsword and axe, but the annoying thing buzzed away far too quickly for him to land a solid hit.

"Get. Back. Here. You. Little. Shit!" He demanded, becoming more and more frustrated with each swipe.

"DIE!" Rize raised her cane, pressing the ruby at its crest to her lips, and a bolt of bright blue lightning leapt from it, "REVELIA FAMILIA!" Raaga spun on the spot to avoid another swipe from the imp. The creature caught the incoming blast, the energy seeping into its stony form, then blasting it outwards into Raaga. The martial artist cried out as the bolt struck him full in the chest. He growled, his knees wobbling slightly, then took off at a full, rage induced sprint straight at Rize. She furrowed her brow, annoyed. She threw out her arm, willing the enormous devil from her side.

"I'MA BREAK YA BITCH!" It boomed, moving just as fast as its smaller counterpart, both fists raised up high, then driving down into the earth in front of Raaga. The demon yelped as the ground beneath him burst, casting him upward. The hulking beast didn't let him be either, flying up after him and slamming both fists down into Raaga's chest, rocketing the demon back down into the ground. "STAY AWAY FROM MISTRESS!" It shot after Raaga, determined to end the fight, screaming and baring both fists downward. Raaga waited, vision blurry from the concussive force of Jumbo's strikes, ribs screaming, a maniacal grin on his face. The creature was a mere breath away of ending it, and Raaga shot up. An additional set of arms unslung themselves from their place at his back, reaching up and catching the plummeting beast, completely stopping its downward momentum. "Oh...you're strong." The shock was deliciously evident in its voice.

"Thanks hot stuff, you're not so bad yourself," Raaga replied. His other two arms swung up, broadsword and hatchet parting through stone as if it were mere butter. Jumbo screamed, it was a grating sound, like metal scraping metal that just refused to stop, it made both Raaga and Rize cringe slightly.

"Ekthcuuuuuuuse youuuuuuu! I'll not tolerate thuch abuuuuuuuthe upon my brother!" The imp Mumbo came speeding from behind, Raaga cocked his hips, planting his feet, then torqued the whole of his body as he heard the nuisance approach, swinging the detached arms of Mumbo directly into it with a resounding crack, sending the imp flying, dazed to the far end of the court before he dropped the arms at his feet. Grinning, Raaga shoved past the disarmed Jumbo to charge at Rize. Her eyes were dull, almost lifeless as she watched Raaga, a flurry of lightning zipping through her, slung towards the approaching martial artist. One managed to strike him full in the chest, but he was determined now, adrenaline buzzing full in his veins now. He swiped at her with the broadsword, but she ducked out of the way, slashed with his hatchet, she threw up her cane with both hands, blocking the strike almost effortlessly, then he landed one solid punch, which struck her cheek with the satisfyingly loud sound of beaten flesh. The demoness brought a dainty hand up to her cheek, coming away bloody, her head rose to look Raaga full in the face, her eyes were hellfire, even while the rest of her face remained neutral. Yet despite the inherent danger in that, Raaga felt her arms begin to tremble in their task of holding his hatchet at bay, had she just gotten weaker?

"RADIA VELOCITY!" She cried, a wall of electricity blasting out of her and into Raaga, sending him flying backwards. "Four arms!? Honestly, I'm going to murder you."

Raaga wiped a hand over his cheek, blood coming away on the white bandages over his hands. His two empty hands reached to the sling on his back, pulling forth another set of weapons, a small dagger and a set of claws; this time he'd put her down. "Mumbo! Jumbo! Deal with him!" Rize demanded, cradling her wounded cheek.

"Ha! Your puppets are good as gone, you're gonna need a different wall to hide behind!" Raaga boasted.

"Is that right? Really?" She replied, voice emotionless.

"Yes, I lopped off the one's arms and sent-"

"YOUUUUUU THALL NOT HARM MITHTRETH!" The imp suddenly came tearing across the sky like a beast possessed, his spear striking right in the meat of Raaga's shoulder, the shock of the blow emptied his lungs, leaving him unable to shout as he dropped his broadsword. He recovered quickly, swinging his head back to bash Mumbo's rocky skull, the imp grunted, stunned. Raaga spun around the imp, tearing the spear out of his shoulder, and locking it beneath the imp's head, pulling it taut against its throat with his now free hands. He roared with an explosive effort, and with the sound of running sand, the haft of the spear passed through, Mumbo's head popping clean off, it's body dropping with an unceremonious thud.

"There, _now_ they're both de-"

"HEY BUDDY NEED A HAND!?" Raaga looked up just in time to get a facefull of fist, crushing his nose in and knocking him flat on his back.

"Oh gods that was even worse than _my_ joke," he groaned, his voice nasal from the blow to his nose. Using the spear as a crutch, Raaga rose unsteadily to his feet to come face to face with Jumbo, whole once more, and wielding his discarded arms like clubs. "Of course you regenerate, of course you would, that's lovely, oh for...hold on a moment would you?" Raaga reached up, firmly cracking his nose back into place with a loud pop, "much better, now, big man, what's it like growing your arms back?"

"YOU WANNA FIND OUT!?" Raaga smiled, cracking his neck.

"Oh you're on." Raaga assumed a fighting stance, his upper arms clasping the newly acquired spear, the dagger and claws held low. Raaga lashed out with his claws, biting into Jumbo's arm and holding it. The brute tried to strike him with the other arm, but Raaga blocked the strike with the shaft of the spear, then slammed the knife into its shoulder. Jumbo reared back in pain, so Raaga took the opportunity, pried his claw loose from its arm and sank it into Jumbo's shoulder, giving him the leverage to leap up to mount its upper back. "So long big man!" Raaga cried, lifting the spear high overhead to drive down into the creature's eye.

"Youuuuuuuuu'll ruuuuuuuuuuue the day you dethided to meth with Mithtreth Rithe!" The other imp? Raaga couldn't dwell any longer though, as he was abruptly torn from Jumbo's back, his arms flaring with a tearing pain as they all strained, some force pulling back on his upper set of arms. He flew through the air, dragging Jumbo by the claws stuck in him. His head slammed against something solid, looking up he saw none other than Mumbo staring down at him, that impassive nucleus hanging ominously. He was all back together, alive and well, and he'd willed his spear back to him. Raaga tried to let go of the weapon, but found his fingers suddenly paralyzed, locked in place. The imp pulled his spear back and planted it flat against Raaga's upper back, barring his arms. At the same time Jumbo got behind Raga, forcibly dragging his other arms back, leaving him immobile.

"I'm quite done with this nonsense, prepare to die fool," Rize intoned, brandishing her cane high overhead. Raaga scoffed, unimpressed.

"Right, look you talk big but I know you're tiring out Rize, you're wounded."

"Truly?" Rize wiped a single hand across her dainty cheek, the blood coming away to reveal her face perfectly unblemished, she'd healed herself! "Enough, VERTEX!"

"Ver-who?" Raaga was cut short as power erupted from Rize's form, an immense wave of electrical force sweeping out in all directions, filling the entire court with a flaring white light, blinding every demon there, the force of the blast knocking every single demon on their backs, a roar of thunder filling the air to accompany the attack.

It took a full minute for the air to clear, everywhere the stones of the colosseum were cracked or crumbling. Dust rose and billowed up into the sky, the court was silent. demons began rising back up to their seats, rubbing their heads to clear the concussive haze, and they all gaped. The two imps were still in the same spot, but their captive was gone, he'd been completely vaporized. The little dragon flew up to his balcony, clearing his throat.

"Ahem, the match, is over! Miss Rize is the vic-" he paused, turning back he saw the old demon Oguro shaking his head, pointing one long, wicked green nail. The dragon adjusted his monocle, and leaned in closer to look, there was something about the imps. "I'm sorry folks it would seem that-"

"THE GREAT CHAMPION RAAGA ISN'T DEAD!" The martial artist's head peaked out from behind the imps, their arms bound back by his as a third pair began waving and gesturing to the crowd, who roared their approval.

"What!?" Rize fumed, gritting her teeth, "How did you… What!? SIX ARMS!?" Raaga scoffed, using the waving arms to pry the heads clean off of Mumbo and Jumbo, holding them high overhead with a flourish for the crowd.

"I had to make sure you were worth all six of them," he bragged, throwing the heads down into the earth, scooping up his discarded weapons, as well as Mumbo's spear, and drawing a trident from the boundless void that was his back apparently. He smirked at Rize.

"WORTHLESS MONGREL!" She raged, her eyes glowing blood red now, "YOU RESIST THE INEVITABLE, AND CHANGE NOTHING!" She began sucking in more power, firing it in great arcs at Raaga.

"Oh quite the contrary my dear, I think I just figured you out." He plunged the spear into the body of Mumbo, the trident into its larger counterpart, then with a burst of effort he flung their bodies into the incoming attack.

The stones sucked up the power in an instant, their heads popping back into existence, animate once more from the absorbed energy.

"I got him mithtreth, he will be dethtwoyed!" Mumbo reached out, summoning his spear to his side, Raaga cocked his hips, ready to move. Rize noticed.

"No you idiot!" But Raaga was already sailing at them, turning back and flinging his hatchet, it passed clean through Mumbo's neck, dropping the imp to the ground. Raaga kept traveling though, straight at Jumbo now, he reached out with his claws, sinking it into the beast as he neared, transferring all his momentum into the devil, chucking him bodily into the ground, landing with a flourish in front of Rize, his devil-may-care grin plastered on his face. "I am going to turn you to as-" Raaga placed a finger to her lips, quieting her.

"Enough monologuing, fight time now," he struck out, his other arms all driving forward. His claws stopped just short of flesh by that cane of hers, which also batted aside his broadsword and struck the side of the wrist holding his dagger. She wound back to strike at his head, his free hand effortlessly caught it, spinning Rize on her heels, he used the cane to twist her own arm, quite viciously. She gasped as her hand involuntarily opened, releasing the cane to Raaga. Her eyes glowed red, and with a roar she unleashed a bolt of lightning directly into his chest, launching him back and away.

Raaga's vision blurred, but he landed on his feet, raising the staff to eye level to examine it, hefting it in his hand to test the weight. The slight shimmer of silver drew his eye, gripping the jeweled top, he pulled, drawing forth a hidden length of steel, his eyes lit up with joy.

"Excellent craftsmanship, great balance as well, it is always fun running my opponents through with their own weapons."

"I'll be sure to try it out once I've riddled your corpse!" Rize continued her relentless assault, so Raaga got to moving.

"Youuuuuuuu're doom drawth near!"

"I'M GONNA CRUSH YOU!" The two devils were back already, Raaga tried to position them between Rize and himself, but they merely directed the current, so long as they could see him, they could strike him. His flesh was becoming charred from the bolts that made it to him, but the adrenaline flowed freely through his veins now, he was just getting into it. He sprung at Jumbo, a flurry of movement as he struck the beast in imperceptibly rapid succession, his arms a blur, his attack continuing even as he rolled around Jumbo to dodge another strike from Rize.

"I'M DONE WITH YOUUUUUU, YOUUUUU THIKTH ARMED BATHTARD!" Raaga felt his arm being jarred aside, the spear flying towards the little imp. He readied his trident to drive into it, but Rize chose that moment to launch a bolt towards the imp, who directed it right into the inbound martial artist, which flung him to the ground, the spear finally flying free of his hands.

"Heh, nice one," Raaga chuckled, spitting out a glob of blood, "now let's see if I can-"

"DIE ALREADY!" Raaga watched as the hand wielding Rize's cane sword reversed its grip against his will, turning the steel inward, and suddenly plunged down. He twisted his torso a moment too late once he realised it was happening, and it lanced right into his gut. He spat up a gout of blood as it burned in him like a hot iron, then without ceremony he was lifted by an invisible force and flung towards Rize.

He came to an abrupt stop directly in front of her, she tore her blade free of his stomach, then slammed her open hand into his chest, leaving him suspended there. She glared at him, her eyes a mix of rage and satisfaction, Raaga was beginning to like her.

"How'd you do that?" He asked tiredly, his eyes drooping to the hole in his chest. She smirked at him the first smile he'd seen out of the woman.

"Enough stupid questions, fight time now." A searing white light began to bloom in her hand, the air hung dead silent for a moment, Raaga almost forgot to be frightened in his anticipation. A solid beam of power ripped through him, bursting out his back and tossing him across the court, slamming right into the far wall, the force of the impact cracking the stone.

"W...Woo! Hole...hole in my chest, tha's a new one!" Raaga coughed out, pained. Rize was trembling in rage now.

"Why are you still alive!?"

"W...whaddya mean?" He slurred drunkenly, rising on shaky legs, readying himself again.

"Why do you keep fighting?" You can't even kill these two let alone myself." At a motion from her, the two imps sped forward and slammed Raaga back into the wall, the demon too dazed to even retaliate.

"'Cuz it's fun!"

"And just what would you do if you manage to kill me? What then?"

"Then I'll kill him next!" Raaga said excitedly, his wind back in him now, he pointed all six arms at the demon king's balcony, Oguro waved, delighted and seemingly oblivious.

"And then what?" She asked, miffed now. "I could never understand you warrior types. Once you've killed the king and rule the world, then what!? What's left? There's no substance left to your actions, no forethought." Raaga slumped a bit, looking past Rize towards Oguro, who sat forward in his throne a bit, suddenly interested. "You'd ascend to the high throne and nobody else would ever present a challenge, then what are you going to do, what's all that fighting going to have earned you?"

"Huh...you're right...I never thought about it like that, eventually I'm gonna be better than anyone...huh." He looked defeated, more concerned by this revelation than the gaping hole in his chest. Rize's expression softened, she collected herself, ever dignified.

"Well, you're not going to need to worry about that, the end of the line is here." She pulled back her sword, ready to plunge it into his heart.

"No…" he whispered, almost inaudible. She struck, and one of his hands shot up, catching the blade, then held it there. "No, you're right, there's no point to it, to all the fighting... I've got to turn over a new leaf, start afresh." A bright light suddenly blossomed from Raaga, growing into a brilliant orb of white light in the crater in his chest. His flesh turned an angelic white, seemingly transparent beneath the light within. His dark hair took on a shock of silver, his golden eyes began to glow, a fire burning in him now. "But first, I need to stop you."

"W...what is this!?" Rize gasped.

"Divine penance, now, we end this."

"What the-" the little imp had one arm grabbed, Raaga flipped him overhead and impaled Mumbo on his trident, the point of it passing straight through the nucleus in the imp's head. At the contact, there came the slightest sound of breaking glass, and the entire construct turned to dust.

"NOOOOO!" The giant charged at him, Raaga stopped its charge easily, merely holding out his hand to grab its arm, then swung his broadsword up, cleaving the arm clean off. Taking hold of the loose arm, he wielded it like a mace and batted Jumbo's head, knocking it back. Raaga leapt up, driving his claws into its neck as he did so, the jump carrying him clean over Jumbo's head, and allowing Raaga to force it right onto its back with a thud. Holding Jumbo down with his now titanic strength, Raaga reached back, pulling yet another blade forth, this one a thin length of steel, with a slight curve towards the hilt, holding the point menacingly over its head. "Please don't kill me," it whimpered.

"Sure thing big man, _if_ , you can promise me that you won't follow her orders to fight."

"I...I can't."

"Well then," Raaga chuckled slightly, then turned to a savage glare, "No." He drove the blade straight down, piercing the nucleus in Jumbo's head, turning it to dust. "And now you." He turned to Rize, his arms returning all his weapons to the void he carried on his back, all save for the newest blade. He held three hands to its hilt, the other three pressed into the groove at the base of the blade.

"You'll be dead long before you ever have the chance!" Rize pulsed with an aura of pale blue light, crackling with power, and began relentlessly attacking Raaga to keep him distant. But Raaga moved faster than she could even process, shifting his sword to catch each attack, the blade diffusing the electric energy, leaving him unscathed. Even those bolts that did manage to strike him didn't even register, he merely continued his leisurely pace forward, towards her, those gold eyes coming ever closer, Rize scrambled, drawing her cane sword in fright. "You won't kill me! I can't die here!" She swung at him, Raaga moved his hands to the hilt of his weapon and countered. Their blades clashed, Raaga lowered his face to hers as sparks began to fly off their swords, his golden eyes filling her with terror. He took hold of his blade, forcing it down, lowering her guard and then slamming a fist squarely into Rize's face.

She dropped her grip on her cane, stumbling back to nurse a bleeding nose. The two swords crossed over her throat, she gulped, closing her eyes as she braced herself.

"Do you concede?" She blinked, glaring up at Raaga, who gave a friendly smile. "I don't wanna kill ya, so ya have to give up."

"I," she shuddered, ashamed, "I concede…" it was barely a whisper.

"SHE CONCEDES!" Raaga turned, addressing the crowd, gritting her teeth, Rize screamed.

"VERTE-" Raaga whirled around in the blink of an eye, drawing forth his broadsword and in one pass separated her head from her shoulders. It sailed high into the air, another of his hands reached back, drawing the imp's spear, and launched it. It pierced the head as it flew, carrying it high overhead to sail towards the demon king, pinning the head directly over Oguro's throne. Raaga smiled, pointing at the old demon.

"You're next old man!" The king chuckled, waving happily. The little dragon came to perch itself on the balcony again.

"RAAGA WINS!" The crowd exploded into an uproar of cheering and applause. Raaga smiled, the light in his chest winking out, his hair drooping back down to its black shade.

"Y'know, she was wrong, fighting's pretty damn fun!" He tapped a finger absently to his lips, thinking. "But if there's nobody stronger...hmm, maybe I'll teach someone to be stronger!" He smiled, decided. "Yeah, I'm gonna train an apprentice!"

 **BREAKDOWN**

When I started writing this, I was pretty decided that Raaga was the inferior fighter here, Rize just seemed to have the odds stacked impossibly in her favor with enough sheer power to destroy him instantly. But then something occurred to me. Raaga's devoted his entire existence to defeating every worthy opponent in Ishgria, he's fought and won countless battles, he has the experience of a veteran fighter. Rize on the other hand, though tremendously powerful, has always used that power as a deterrent to aggressors throughout her life, she won't possess the experience, or any exceptional battle tactics beyond shoot to kill. Raaga's fought countless demons, maybe not as powerful as Rize, but he's doubtless learned how to analyze and counter his opponent's quickly, so despite his lack of complete weapon mastery, he more than makes up for it with base combat skill. Rize's own power lead to her gaining a big ego, and in the end it allowed Raaga to outsmart her, and lead to her defeat.

 **The Winner Is**

 **Raaga!**

 **...**

 **HEYO!**

So we had the idea to do this piece a while back, and I recently decided to really dig into it and I really enjoyed doing this. It was really interesting to dig into their lore and pick them apart, decipher all these different things about them from such small details. I really enjoyed it, and I hoped that all of you enjoy it as well, and I'd like to see what you guys think of it, and I welcome any ideas that you guys provide, units that you would like to see fight or that you think have a correlation, units that you think are cool and just wanna see in a fight, whatever you want, I welcome some interaction on it. Now bear in mind the outcome of this fight is still merely my opinion and are subjective. So, I'll see you guys next time, in the next battle, Selena Vs. Lugina, the Batle of the Arena Lords!


	2. The Battle of the Arena Lords

_**Selena**_

 _ **Vs.**_

 _ **Lugina**_

 _ **Battle of the Arena Lords!**_

 **Introduction**

The two Heroes of Legend, banes of evil, noble warriors both, Chief Selena, leader of the Savat people, bearer of the sacred ice blade Lexida, a seasoned warrior, and one of the original six to rally humanity against the gods. Lugina, master of the power of gaia, a devastatingly powerful warrior and truly the most humble, beautiful, and fair of heroes, nigh invincible, truly a force the likes of which no being, human, god, or demon, has ever seen. I'm Varthan, and it's my job to analyze their skills, weapons, and weaknesses to see who would win in a Brave Clash!

 **Meet the Combatants**

 _Ice Legend Selena_

" _I fight for you Lucina, and for all my people that the gods took from me."_

Bred from her earliest years as a warrior to take up the mantle of leadership, Selena grew up alongside her childhood friend Lucina, daughter of the Saman pirate lord, Mega. Her strength of character allowed her to become the chosen one of the sacred blade of her tribe, Lexida. This blade contained within it the life force of all the fallen tribe members of the Savat, who guided her to wield the blade in the war against the gods. It wasn't until later that she attained her final form, occurring only after she'd witnessed the death of Lucina, and seen her spirit join with Lexida, unleashing the chieftain's full power. She was one of the original Six Heroes, and still holds a place in countless teams for her formidable power in the arena; a place notorious for its grueling single combat.

 **Breakdown**

Alright, so Selena's leader skill, Water of Lore, grants her superior attack power combined with greater durability through increased health. Her regular brave burst, Frozen Orchid, is just an attack without bonus effect, and so will probably be a mere unleashing of Lexida's power. Her Super Brave Burst, Luther Entios, or roughly, Inspired by the People* provides her with a tremendously potent heal over time in addition to an attack far superior to Frozen Orchid. Her Ultimate, White World, makes her nigh unstoppable in single combat, doubling her hit count and filling her health to full with each turn. Now these can't really be put into perspective without a thorough understanding of Lexida itself, so let's get right to looking at her arsenal.

The legendary treasure sword of the Savat, Lexida. Observing the form of the weapon over her five forms, it's a hand-and-a-half longsword, permitting her to use it with one or two hands for better control. Now the blade grants its wielder an increased hit count, as well as increased vitality, and an inane healing ability, which is then bolstered through Selena's Extra Skill, Bearer of Honor, which boosts all of her abilities and grants her the angel idol buff when her health reaches critical levels. Now because Lexida contains the spirits of the fallen warriors of the Savat, it's assumed that it's innate heal over time, as well as her appropriately named Super Brave Burst heal, are both the result of the spirits of her people aiding her through the blade, preserving her and healing any damage done. This can continue on in saying the weapon's double hit count is the spirits come to fight alongside her, her ultimate then being the full unleashing of Lexida's power, both granting her a further increased hit count, making her nigh unstoppable in single combat, as well as essentially making her temporarily immortal with its heal factor until the blade's strength has been depleted.

Indeed, by her lore, Selena is the sole survivor of the entirety of her tribe, they were all taken from her by the war, bringing Lexida to greater heights than it had ever reached with its previous wielders, though at a terrible cost to Selena. Her Extra Skill's name reflects this, Bearer of Honor, she doesn't consider it a burden, or an overwhelming responsibility to carry with her the souls of all of her family at her side, she considers it an honor to continue fighting on in their name. And with all that she's had taken from her, Selena is bound to have a near limitless pool of rage to tap into. Given the immense healing capabilities that she boasts, it's fair to say that Selena will be a very wild fighter, running straight into the thick of things because she's fully willing to incur damage given the fact that she knows her people support her, even in death. This could very well be an explanation as to why she excels in the arena, both as a leader and a sub, she's not afraid of death, and that makes her a terrifying opponent.

 _ *****_ _Thanks to Brave Frontier Reddit User Maple-Syrup-Parade for the incredible job of breaking down Selena's SBB, I would never have been able to decipher it if I hadn't found him._

… **..**

 _Gaia_ _Lord Lugina_

" _I'm not a Zelban! They're all Luginas that wouldn't change their names!"_

The modern Hero of Legend, leader of the prestigious Demon Slayers, and the true hero of the campaign against the fallen gods. Lugina trained in the ancient, formidable art of La Vedan Fencing, officially making him a Zelban, however, since he had no desire to gain prestige off of somebody else's legend, Lugina forsook the title to forge his own path. Lugina wields the Sky Harbinger, a mythic blade that amplifies the user's strength immensely.

 **Breakdown**

His leader skill, which we shall refer to as Instant Godly Devastation, sets him off at an incredible advantage at the outset of combat. It grants him an enormous boost to his strength and defense, as well as greatly reducing the required BB to access his abilities quicker, and a chance to reduce a large portion of incoming damage. His Brave Burst gives a 10BC instant fill effect, which here can be construed as a hasty power up, as well as a granting him a beefy attack boost, fairly easy to imagine. His Super Brave Burst then, is an unlimited attack that grants Lugina ignore defense by the sheer weight of his strikes, as well as an insanely potent buff to his defense, the most powerful non-ultimate buff currently. From this we can say that at the point of achieving this attack Lugina has hit his stride, he no longer needs to be reckless to psych out his opponent, he adapts a mildly defensive method of combat while maintaining the same damage output to wear them down quickly, this is supplemented by his Extra Skill, The Strongest Vessel, which boosts his attack when his BB gauge has filled. His Ultimate Brave Burst is an enormously powerful attack, one that we shall heretofore mention only as the Donezo-Funzo Maneuver, as it is a single target attack, the first of its kind in the game so far, and its enormous strength is buffed even further by an enormous boost to BB damage buff, and then going on to quintuple the attack power of all earth types, including himself. So basically, if at any point Lugina gains the opportunity to use this technique, he wins, that's it, donezo-funzo, as it were. So while on the subject of overkill, let's look at Lugina's arsenal.

Lugina's everywhere now come equipped with his Sky Harbinger, a formidable blade of unbelievable power now for the low low price of only 1.5 million zel! The blade provides a boost of 30% to attack and health of its user, as well as boosting attack further by up to three times the norm when at full health, cutting their strength in half on their last legs. The sword also grants Lugina specifically a boost to all parameters, making him even more capable on the field of battle. Lugina is a master of his own offensive twist upon the La Vedan Fencing style, one that its most reverent practitioner, the one that we originally knew as Zelban himself, described as allowing its users to take on stronger and stronger opponents. His old master, Dolk was also a practitioner, however he adapted the style to suit his own needs. Atro himself was another disciple in this field, making himself a Zelban as well, and between these four, the only known users of the La Vedan fencing style, there's a common theme in varying forms of defensive boosts, so we can safely say that the La Veda Fencing style permits the user to adopt a defensive style until they can ascertain the weaknesses of their opponents, then striking to exploit those weaknesses at lightning speed, turning combat into a test of precision and endurance. Lugina takes a massively offensive approach to this, smashing through his opponent's defense and preparing for any retaliation the disoriented opponent may be able to muster.

And as we've seen from his previous forms, Lugina possesses an affinity with the earth, his powers allowing him to manipulate the ground around him to do his bidding. That's right, he's so ludicrously powerful that even rocks are smart enough to know better than to mess with him.

Lugina is very easy to irritate, although his fighting ability remains unaffected by his rage, unlike with most fighters when their rage is kindled. In fact, his irritation usually only brings him to unearth even more ego by its end, and a subsequent increase in his power, which it seems is tied directly into his own hype.

 _..._

Alright, the contestants are set. The Lords of the Arena, it was only a matter of time before they encountered one another, so now let's determine which of these behemoths would triumph. It's time, for a Brave Clash!

… **..**

 _Just moments after the Great Lugina single-handedly defeated Lucius, God of the Gate, and scourge of Grand Gaia, after having already saved a school full of burning orphans with the other hand. You may ask, was the orphanage on fire, or the orphans? Answer: Yes. After doing all this without any outside assistance whatsoever, we come upon the marvelous Lugina, attempting to engage in some true intellectual conversation with a subordinate…_

 _Excerpt from the Adventures of the Great Lugina, Volume_ _XXXVIII_

… **...**

"So, now that mister high 'n' mighty's been offed, please, hold your applause, I can practically _feel_ your adoration as is," Paris rolled her eyes, turning another page of the tome she'd lain on the table before her, "does that mean those summoner dolts can't do their summoning anymore?"

"Whatever are you on about?" She asked, exasperated.

"Well, 'e controlled the gates, summonin' gate an' all, so now that he's outta the picture, what's that mean for the summoners?" Paris raised her finger to speak, but stopped herself, somewhat stunned.

"That's...I actually don't...did you just make a point?"

"I always have a point ya dumb broad," he snickered, "but most'a the time you've gotta be as smart as me to see it!"

"Yes, I'm sure," she sighed, "but Lady Tilith-"

"She said herself she's too weak to keep all a' Loosh's old gates up, she can barely get one." Paris wilted, genuinely stumped.

"I….I guess….perhaps she'll work to get it under control, I'm sure she wouldn't just...leave it-"

"I don't think that's her choice blondie."

"But she-"

"Can she? Can she really?" He smiled wide at the repulsed look she cast his way. "I mean-"

"OKAY, LUGINA! I get it, just please, go pester someone else about this." Lugina grunted, sneering at her, but acquiesced.

"Fine, you've obviously got nothing interesting to say anyway, I'll be off doing something incredible as always, just in case you need to find me for an autograph. Quick heads up though, singlehandedly killed god, kind of a big deal, like, even bigger than I was before, so you might need to wait on line."

"Oh whatever shall I do without you oh dunderhead of legend?" She droned sarcastically, Lugina huffed, storming out angrily.

"Whatever, stupid girl. Might as well go train, never know when something else is gonna threaten Grand Gaia that they'll need me to kill."

…

"Dumb blond, how dare a newbie in the Summoner Hall like her speak to the Great Lugina like that. Me! Commander of the Demon Slayers!" The Emerald Fields of Elgaia splayed out before him, a place to train when everyone else was too incompetent to be useful, quite often as it happened. His trusty blade, the Sky Harbinger hung at his side, its surface awash with bright green glowing runes, it made him feel powerful, even more than he naturally was of course, if that was even possible.

He drew it, gripping the hilt with both hands. He focused his attention on a particular patch of grass, envisioning an enemy there. With a roar he attacked, executing a savage set of strikes, the force of his will causing the earth around him to burst upwards, chunks of rock hovering, suspended in the air around him. As a result, in mere moments there were craters everywhere around him.

At that moment, a blinding light struck down in front of him, throwing him off his feet to land right on his rear several feet back. Shaking his head free of the daze it put him in, Lugina lit up with a cocky grin, rubbing his hands rapidly together with eager excitement. One of those rainbow summon gates, seemed the goddess had her priorities straight to send him one direct.

He leapt up to his feet, approaching slowly, examining the gate. He pressed a hand gently to its surface, savoring the strange warmth that beat through it.

"Alright ya big ole' paperweight, send me someone worth my ti-eh!" The rainbow doors suddenly burst open, swinging out at Lugina with staggering force. A pair of feet slammed into his chest, kicking off his armor to send a figure flipping through the air over his head, the gate vanishing behind it. "Hey, what's the big idea!?" Lugina snarled, then grinned, "if ya wanted an autograph you only had to ask." The newcomer was a woman, definitely had a prettier face than the two broads he normally had to work with, but he needed more than a pretty face. Her sky blue hair was left unbound to tumble down her back, he'd have her cut that short to keep out of her way. Her outfit was a billowing dress that hung down to her knees, he'd need her in something more...effective, gods forbid she saw a puppy or something and tripped on a run in her own stupid dress. All in all though, she seemed fierce, she had the blue eyes of a warrior, and the toned muscles of a fighter. He had no doubt that she knew full well how to wield the royal blue sword she clutched tight in her hands. "Yeah, I think you'll do." She cocked her head, palming her sword's hilt, eyeing Lugina warily. She danced anxiously on the balls of her feet, settling into a defensive stance as she laid eyes on the stones hovering around him, his natural aura of power making his cape blow perpetually in the wind, he forgot sometimes that not everybody could do that.

"Who are you? How'd you bring me here? Friend or foe?" Lugina grinned his cocky grin, approaching with a swagger in his step.

"I am the great and powerful Lugina! And you, have been selected as part of my elite team, the honor is all yours of course." She scanned him briefly, sneering.

"Dodgy, narcissistic, definitely powerful," she looked him over again, "and...metal armor...custom made to fit and protect his abs, make that doubly narcissistic."

"Hey doll, it's for my enemies' protection, gotta keep the raw, destructive power of my muscles in check eh?" He chuckled, she frowned.

"Gods Army, no doubt," she drew herself up, pointing her blade at him with one hand, "prepare yourself fiend, when you get to whatever hell your gods and you crawled out of, tell them Selena, wielder of the legendary Lexida sent you!"

"Who?" Selena charged forward, swinging Lexida downward, Lugina brought his own sword up, blocking the stroke with ease, he smiled up at her, arrogant. "Ah, so she's a feisty one, alright then, let's dance." He stomped powerfully into the ground, and the earth erupted beneath them, two sharp rocks shot out, catching both their feet, and catapulting them both a safe distance from one another.

"Alright, prepare yourself for a whole new world of hurt girl!" He roared, adrenaline bursting into his system, his muscles bulged, straining against his armor, then dashed forward. Selena crouched low, holding her sword with both hands, then stabbed it upwards with a grunt. The ground rumbled briefly, then three massive pillars of ice shot out around her, each ending at a deadly sharp point, all sailing towards Lugina. He didn't even slow his forward movement, leaping up and slashing down, his blade cleaving through the ice like butter, destroying two of the pillars, then landing on the third, riding down the incline it formed towards Selena. He slammed a fist into the ground in front of her, the earth shifted like a rippling wave from the point of impact, shattering the ice around them and launching her into the air. He leapt up after her, grabbing the hem of her dress, and flinging her back down to the ground.

"ALBA SKY GARDEN!" He shouted, willing all the stones following him to blast downwards, pummeling her body, burying her beneath an absolute landslide. Extending an open palm, he made a show of closing the hand into a fist, and the stones exploded outwards, he kicked off of one of the larger ones, propelling himself down towards her body, pointing the Sky Harbinger straight downward. He landed, burying the blade itself directly into Selena's heart. Her eyes went wide, a stream of blood shot out of her mouth with a will of its own. Those big blue beauties glazed over in moments, her chest ceasing to move, her breath stopping.

"Hmph," Lugina pouted, sheathing his sword at his side and crossing his arms. "Guess I was wrong, not worth my time. Eh, I'll wait for her spirit to show up. Maybe I'll just give 'er to those other two nags, birds of a feather." then he grinned, cracking into a full on smile as he began to laugh, "Or I can give 'er to that sissy Karl, now there's to pansies that'll get along great!"

"I...am nobody's….plaything!" Lugina winced at the sensation as something sharp and hot lanced through his ankle. Looking down, he saw the woman moving onve again, the wound in her chest mysteriously vanished now. She tore the blade out of his leg and he howled in pain, hopping out of the way as she rose shakily to her feet, using her sword as a crutch. She growled at him, her hair beginning to blow around her in the wind.

"I am the chief of the Savat people! Their spirits I carry with me, and we shall not be lain low by some lowly Gods Army scum! Prepare to face your demise, by our sword!" Lugina cocked his head, confused.

" _Our?_ Sorry to tell ya Savie, but there's only one of ya," he told her, shaking his head at the idiocy. To be fair, he supposed she had only just come out of the gate. And died...he'd have to figure out what that was about.

"DIE!" She leapt at him, sword thrust outwards, Lugina twisted out of the way, drawing his sword. Then suddenly a blue spectral form leapt out her, another girl, with a reptilian tail and wielding a grooved blade. The specter slashed at him, cutting a very real, shallow mark across his torso, while leaving his armor perfectly untouched. He fell back in shock, his hand searching his chest for the wound.

"Okay, that's definetly two of you...different, but it'll take more than ghost to stop the Great Lugina!"

"Luther Entios!" Her voice didn't even sound like her own now, it sounded like an entire crowd speaking all at once. In a line stretching from her, more specters, both men and women, sprung into existence, before suddenly vanishing again, faint wisps of blue light left in their wake, all swirling around her, casting her entire body in a royal blue light. He whistled, impressed.

"Alright, I don't care how many of them you got locked up in ya, I'll take you all on! Veda Wrecking Style!" Lugina crouched low, taking a firm grip on his sword with both hands, cracking his neck. "Come on!" Selena's scream was one echoed simultaneously by the phantom at her side, she charged at him, the lizard girl in tow. This time Lugina was prepared, his muscles primed to react, every one attack from the woman was basically two, but Lugina moved even faster than the both of them, managing to fend off every last attack, parrying and getting in a multitude of deep cuts of his own. Guffawing, Lugina slashed upward, beneath the both women's guards, cutting a deep wound into Selena's chest, tearing the fabric of her dress. Raising the Sky Harbinger up, blade streaked crimson with blood, to block another pair of strikes from the duo. Selena's eyes met his as their blades locked, that icy blue gaze brimming with fury, even as her face remained passionless.

"And a pervert as well, roaming hands will spell your doom, scum. Frozen Orchid!" A shaft of ice popped up from the ground, it's blunt end crushing into Lugina's skull, knocking him on his back. Another ice beam shot forth just over his leg, his eyes went wide. He scrambled as more began to shoot up underneath him. She was approaching rapidly, that cold rage burning in her eys as more ice burrowed up around her. Her chest, just seconds ago bloodied and scarred, was anew, untouched. Lugina furrowed his brow, wrapping one hand around an ice rod, snapping it free and leaping at her, swinging furiously. It struck her upside her head, knocking her to the side, followed swiftly by the Sky Harbinger being buried in her side. She bared her teeth, tears rising to her eyes, but she didn't make a sound.

She didn't even cry out as she tore the blade free of her own body, spraying blood out over the side of her dress, and threw it at Lugina. The warrior sidestepped the projectile, snatching it out of the air as she rushed forward, cutting twice across his chest, tearing through his chestplate. Lugina felt his muscles weaken a bit as he gasped from the damage, shocking the fight out of him.

"Oh what's wrong, bravado goes so quickly out the window when you're crying your wound away eh?" Lugina ignored her, grinning despite himself as he panted slightly.

"Hmph, pretty good for a woman, but ya still can't ever dream of defeating the Great Lugina with skills like that!" But even as he spoke, he watched the gory, blood soaked wound at her side nearly fully healed now, there was flesh stitching together before his very eyes. This woman was beyond human. "What the hell…"

"My spirit is as the water, though it may be troubled, it will always settle, shapeless, ever changing." The ground began to rumble as she spoke, the whites of her eyes began to glow with a dark blue light. "The sword in my heart is tempered by the burning spirits of the Savat people!" The ground began to crack apart, the wind whipping violently now. "By their will I shall put every last one of you Gods Army bastards to death!" Lugina looked up, seeing an entire blanket of dark storm clouds suddenly rolling in overhead. "WHITE WORLD!" Snow and ice and hail dropped from the clouds like bullets, pelting the earth below with sounds like shattering glass, obscuring the world around them. A frightfully powerful wind was kicking up, tossing a sheet of ice crystals into Lugina's face, he shivered, brushing them aside. Selena was gone. He whipped around, looking for any sign of her, but the snow and ice was already two inches up, any tracks left were already gone. The storm was working startlingly fast, the wind and snow blowing with a sound not unlike the roar of a beast.

As Lugina paused to think, a shape detached itself from the snow. The shape was a blue-white specter. The lizard girl? No, a woman draped in furs wielding a massive axe, she lunged at him. He raised his sword, deflecting her axe even as a shower of blue sparks erupted from the exchange, she passed right on, disappearing into the white storm. Another shape, a man with two swords, rushed forward, his weapons slamming into Lugina's sword. Another man came at them with a spear, Lugina spun, bashing the spear aside to pass right into the first specter, both disappeared as they made contact. He gasped as a sudden heat stabbed into him, looking down he found a small spectral child, a boy with shaky hands around a knife buried in Lugina's ankle. The boy vanished, but the wound remained, Lugina dropped to one knee, gasping as the cold fire in his leg immobilized it. The faces flashed by, countless, making passes with all manner of weapons at him, raking over his skin with knives, sickles, hunting spears, all manner of items. He deflected most of them, but when he was struck, the cold seeped into him, freezing him up. He felt his strength being sapped from his bones with each ethereal blade that struck a corporeal wound.

At last Selena came forth, attacking him from the front, going for his throat. He batted aside her weapon, unable to shift out of her path in his state. She slashed at him, and their blades clashed again, the struggled against one another.

"Gah, dumb...broad, hiding...behind your...puppets!" Lugina accused through gritted teeth. Selena growled, a deep, primal sound that surprised even Lugina.

"Puppets!?" The lizard girl appeared at her side, blade pressed against Lugina's as well, doubling the pressure on him. "They are my people! They stand by me! They keep me safe and watch over me!" More faces began appearing around her, men and women, more blades appearing to join hers, forcing Lugina down, blue sparks flying, searing his face. His eyes bulged as his muscles strained, an entire tribe pressing against him. "You are worthless! You took everything from me, so now we will crush you!"

Lugina's eyes darkened, rage building in him. Holding his blade in place, he shifted his screaming back leg, standing himself up. HE pushed against the forces she'd conjured against him, actually forcing them back a step. Selena's eyes widened, and Lugina smiled when he saw. Pulling his arm back, he bashed her head aside with the back of his hand, causing her to stumble away from the clash, the apparitions vanishing around her. She stood there, rubbing her cheek in shock.

"Now! Obviously I've been too subtle in explaining to you who exactly I am, so let's go over this again!" The entirety of the Sky Harbinger's surface began to glow with a radiant green light, "I, am Lugina! Legendary warrior and leader of the illustrious Demon Slayers. I've single-handedly destroyed countless gods! I eat them for breakfast, unlike those sorry Gods Army pansies you compare me to. And now, if you plan to just keep recovering, then I'll just have to carve that preety little heart out of your chest." Selena stared at him, mouth agape for a second, then her eyes began to turn a fierce white, her body quaking with fury.

"You-" Lugina slapped her again, knocking her eyes back to blue.

"No." Pulling back, Lugina struck a span across her front between her shoulders, just below the base of her neck. His arms bulged, his body shrouded in a dark green aura as he punched her right in the face, spinning her on the spot, and cut across her legs down to the bone, hamstringing her and forcing her to her knees with a cry. He cut two crossing gashes across her back, then pulled back to prepare one final strike. Already the cross had gone from bone deep to barely broken skin, remarkable recovery, but fruitless. Lugina stabbed with all the raw, untamed power in his body, right through her back to pass out her front. She rasped, choking out a few gargled breaths as she watched the blade in her with disbelief, then the Sky Harbinger twisted, and she slumped forwards, the aura dispelling from her body, all light and apparitions gone from her side.

Her form began to shift, hissing as it wavered. The shape of her body distorted, faded, becoming transparent before finally vanishing altogether. In its place nothing was left save for a rainbow wisp of light, which Lugina snatched up eagerly. He poured his will into the little wisp, then with a bright flash, the woman stood before him, whole again.

"Lugina….so good to see you m...ma…" she made a slight gagging noise, "master." Lugina grinned, a predator's grin.

"Now that's better. Alright so…" he twisted his face slightly, snapping his fingers. "Ssssally." She gave him a death stare.

"Selena, it's….Selena."

"Yeah that, you're gonna be going to a complete wuss of a man, his name's Karl. Now Karl, _sucks_ , at just about everything, you are gonna keep him alive, and every single time that you have to save his sorry hide, you be sure to remind him who gave you over to him."

"Karl huh? Sounds disappointing, like Leore."

"Yeah that's about right."

"Another of your Gods Army friends?" Now it was Lugina's turn to give a death stare.

"Oh my me, you can't take a hint. Girl, the war's long over alright? Gods Army? Gone. You're serving the one, the only, the legendary, Lugina now, got it? You may not know just who I am, but I killed Lucius, by myself, and I think even someone with a head as thick as yours can appreciate that." Selena's face was a whirlwind of emotions now, chief among them was obvious confusion.

"Over? Gone? LUCIUS!? I...I have so many questions!" Lugina chuckled, throwing an arm over Selena's shoulder.

"Alright Selena, lemme tell you a story. It's all about me, as most good stories are, and it'll give you a breakdown of everything you need to know. Prepare to be regaled, with the Tales of Lugina!"

 **Breakdown**

Who's biased? Okay but in all seriousness, Lugina's awesome, his ego can be genuinely charming at times, he's such an out-there ridiculous kind of asshole that I can't help but love him.

Okay, honestly now.

Being that Selena's the bearer of Lexida, Lugina essentially had to kill her twice, but I believe his early burst of adrenaline is more than enough to overwhelm her, and by the time that Selena manages to fully unleash her healing capabilities, Lugina's already settled into his Veda Fencing style, which is a precise defensive stance that would be a perfect counter to what would realistically be the very reckless style of Selena. Even under the assault of White World he can stack up well. He suffered many wounds here though, but even the Sky Harbinger sapping strength at lower health, between all of Lugina's abilities his strength is still daunting, superior to most units even. And enduring to be able to sue the Donezo-Funzo, nothing can survive a strike of such power.

 **And the Winner**

 **Lugina**

 **...**

 **Heyo!**

Greetings everybody! Varthan again, your favorite completely unbiased writer! I hope you enjoyed the battle of the arena lords, now of course this is still a matter of personal opinions, it could most certainly be argued that Selena would mop the floor with Lugina. If you enjoyed, please be sure to leave me some feedback in the comments, any ideas you have for one of these fights maybe, units that you would like to see fight or that you think have a correlation, units that you think are cool and just wanna see in a fight, anything really. Alright then, I'll see you all next time, for the battle of **Dion Vs. Quaid!**


	3. Battle for the Holy Emperor

_**DION**_

 _ **VS.**_

 _ **QUAID**_

 _ **Duel for the Holy Emperor**_

 **Introduction**

The assassin and the bodyguard, swordsmen of unparalleled skill. Quaid, a member of the prestigious Guardians the Meirith, defenders of Karna Masta, gifted a sylvan blade by the Holy Emperor himself, he was tasked with defeating an invasion force of demons within Ishgria along with his fellow guardians. Dion was a skilled knight of the Vrikshan Principality, he set off on a journey to prove himself against the illustrious Oracle Knight, after countless duels against the mysterious knight, the Oracle Maiden approached Dion and invited him to join the Oracle Knight in his ongoing battle against the gods, culminating finally in a battle against the Holy Emperor. I'm Varthan, and it's my job to analyze their skills, weapons, and weaknesses to determine who would win, in a Brave Clash.

 **Meet the Combatants**

 _Cyclonic Blades Dion_

" _I know, I'll come at him from behind, yeah, Ark'll_ never _see it coming! BAHH! Gods dammit...hmmm...Oh! I'll wait for him down here, and when he comes down, I'ma-_

" _Hey. Whatcha doin?"_

" _Oh hey Ark, I'm just waiting here for Ark to come down, I'm gonna kick his ass."_

" _Nnnneat."_

" _Yeah I…...oh….crapbaskets."_

Born and bred to defend those dear to him, Dion took up the mantle of knighthood early in his years in Vriksha, swiftly rising to a position of unparalleled rank among his peers. Once he'd defeated every opponent in Vriksha that he deemed worthy, Dion was prepared to give up on his knighthood, when a mysterious knight arrived. He'd come to know this man as the Oracle Knight, and would challenge him to countless duels in every country the knight traveled through. Every duel ended in a defeat on Dion's part of course, but being the plot ex machina that he is, losing to Ark can hardly be counted against him. After countless battles however, Ark's companion, the Oracle Maiden saw something in Dion, and invited him to join their cause against the gods. Dion is a relentless fighter of extreme skill, always willing to guard those close to him, and will stop for no man or god in his way.

 **Breakdown**

Dion's Leader Skill, Flashing Divine Radiance, massively boosts critical hit damage, as well as damage versus weaker elements in the case of earth and thunder units. Alright, so we can discount the second half of that, being that Dion's opponent here will be Quaid, another earth unit. As far as critical hits go though, Dion is still very much going strong, being that he is portrayed as a knight of such skill, this can be translated that Dion is extremely capable at finding and exploiting weak points of his enemies. His Brave Burst, Gryps Tempest, is a powerful attack that boosts critical hit rate to max, this would probably be considered a very tentative attack, meant to feel out his opponent to test their limits so that he can find where they're weakest. His Super Brave Burst, Pulsating Green Heaven, is another powerful attack which enhances the power of brave bursts. Now, from his attack animation, we see that Dion possesses some control over the wind, further reflected in the names of his abilities, keyword 'tempest', so this attack would directly augment these abilities. His extra skill, Galloping Tempest, further doubles his crit damage, so, basically, when Dion gets a crit…I'll leave it to your imagination.

So let's take a look at the weapons at his disposal. Dion wields a set of twin blades, imbued with the power of thunder and wind in them. The blades are serrated, permitting him to easily win any blade clash with an opponent, and can prove to be extremely damaging. These blades have the ability to conjure up their respective elements in the heat of battle, making them exceptionally deadly.

Based on Dion's lore, it's safe to say that he's a very aggressive fighter, aiming for quick, decisive kills with his critting abilities. He's proven in his final moments that he's willing to lay down his life for those he wishes to defend, and any man so dedicated to those he cares for, is truly a force to be reckoned with.

…..

 _Sylvan Excalibur Quaid_

" _Don't worry about me guys, I know you can protect Karna Masta. So c'mon, have some faith in me too."_

Born into the prestigious order of the Guardians of Meirith, Quaid was raised from an early age to wield a sword. He grew into an incredible amount of skill, swiftly rising to a commanding position among the guardians, gaining recognition even from Karna Masta himself, in the form of his sword. One day, the Guardians were dispatched to thwart an invasion by the demons of Ishgria (Presumably because Karna Masta has absolutely nothing better to do with his elite troops than to send them to halt the entirety of an invasion, with only six people, absolutely no alternatives there, like, say, bodyguarding). When the group found out there was a group of assassin's planning to strike at Karna Masta thanks to Fadahl's soothsaying, Quaid was one of three who opted to remain in Ishgria while the others went on to combat the Oracle Knights. But what if, Quaid had been with them? What if Quaid had been there to fight the Oracle Knights themselves?

 **Breakdown**

Quaid's Leader Skill, Five Brave Lights' Essence, grants doubled attack power when five different elements are present, as well as several iterations of easier to fill brave burst gauge. Now, being Quaid is alone here, we can disregard the former half of this, leaving Quaid with only the ability to easily fill his brave burst gauge, to quickly gather energy to utilize his abilities and unlock the strength of his sword. His Brave Burst, Val Nils the Sword, is a powerful attack consisting of every major element besides light and dark. His Super Brave Burst, Delta Horizon, is an all elemental attack that imbues those around the sword with these four elements as well. His Ultimate Brave Burst, Nandikeshvara's End, is an all elemental attack that imbue all fighters with every element, as well as doubling their hit count. His Extra Skill makes him a very formidable fighter, able to last through any amount of punishment, Valiance, which increases his stats by a tremendous amount the closer he comes to the brink of death. Now to get a bit more insight into the nature of his skills, let's move on to examine his weapon.

Val Nils the Sword, a blade of sylvan make gifted to Quaid by Karna Masta himself has given Quaid the power to command not only his squad, but also to command the battlefield. Going off of his regular brave burst, named after the blade, it's safe to assume that all of Quaid's abilities stem directly from the sword, so each of his abilities is merely unlocking another tier of the sword's power, increasing his strength as a battle progresses. The sword is a one-handed weapon based on the appearance of the hilt, which would permit ease of movement while leaving one hand free, leaving him an exceptionally agile fighter.

Based on his extra skill, as well as the bravery he displayed in opting to stay in the demon realm to stop the invasion force, it's easy to see that Quaid is a very brave soul, willing to fight anything and everything that threatens him or those around him. He would also be a very resilient fighter, more cautious but not afraid to take a hit, he will excel at extended battles.

Alright! We've met the contestants, the Guardian and the Oracle Knight, when one sentence was all it would've taken to have these two go head to head in place of Claire, Colt, and Fadahl, who would turn up triumphant? Ladies and Gentlemen, it's tiiiiiime for a Brave Clash!

…..

Quaid took a deep breath, inhaling a gulp of sulfur and ash. Ishgria was certainly proving to be an….interesting place to exist in at the moment. Between the air that constantly tasted like it was on fire, the sky that stayed red whether the damned sun was out or not, and that...one demon, he was just about ready to give it all up and go home.

"Soooo….you guys think it's daytime right now or…." He began, the others let out a collective sigh.

"Diane, you're the one that actually listens to everything he says, this is theeeee…"

"Twelfth time he's asked that Ivris, it's almost as if he, like all of us, has run out of things to talk about!"

"Well well well, we may not be able to know what time it is, but it's certainly _somebody's_ time of the month!" Diane sneered at Ivris, the ensuing silence broken briefly by the sound of Colt's laughter, before his sister Claire delivered a swift slap to the back of his head, shutting him up in an instant.

"I do believe with your ever cheery demeanor Ivris, that we need a bit of positivity between all of us, even if it is repetitive," Fadahl offered, eyes closed sagely.

"Oh gag me Fadahl," Ivris responded with a roll of her eyes," we don't need you trying to coddle us."

"I don't know, you seem to be in deathly need of it with that antagonizing tongue of yours Ivris, how do you expect to survive anywhere if you choose to be so hostile towards others?"

"It's true Ivris," Claire added, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder, "we understand that you want to keep your sister safe and you wish to see her again, but-"

"-You don't have to be such a bitch about it!" Colt interjected, causing his sister to slump into Ivris' shoulder, sighing heavily.

"Yes, thank you Colt, I was getting to that," her voice was muffled by the cloth of Ivris' shirt, the silver haired healer snatched her arm away, disgusted.

"Now hold on a moment," Ivris began, "I'm just mad because Fadahl-" Fadahl held his hands up, silencing Ivris and the others. He held a hand to his temple, the jewel in his staff beginning to glow with the intensity of a second sun, forcing the Guardians to avert their eyes, when they looked back Fadahl was leaning heavily against his cane.

"Somebody is going to attack Lord Karna Masta." Everybody stood dead silent for a moment, the gravity of the statement sinking in.

"Oh shut the hell up Fadahl!" Ivris broke in, exasperated. "You see this is _exactly_ what I was talking about! Stop trying to act like you're important here! You don't pull your weight in an actual fight, this whole soothsaying crap is the crutch you use, and you suck at that too! Why just this morning you told us to trek all the way out here because we'd meet another ruling demon, which, after several hours, I can safely say we haven't!"

"But we will," Fadahl corrected her calmly.

"But we won't! Because you're terrible at telling the future!"

"Hey come on now!" Quaid insisted, placing himself between the two and grabbing hold of Ivris' shoulders. "No need to act like this now. We need to have faith in one another, we need to believe in Fadahl, Ivris. If there's someone that wants to kill-"

"Six, someone's actually…." Fadahl stated, Quaid bit his lip, staying professional as he looked Ivris dead in the eyes.

"Six people that-"

"Wait no….seven." Fadahl corrected himself again, Quaid glared daggers at him, but Fadahl seemed not to notice. "Eight, yes definitely eight." He assured them, with an air of finality now. Quaid waited a moment, ensuring that Fadahl was done before he continued.

"Eight people, want Karna Masta dead, then I think we can split into two groups, one stays to fight off the remaining demons, while the rest return to protect Karna Masta. I for one will stay behind."

"Well _I'm_ not leaving Themie's safety to any of you, so I'm staying," Ivris stated flatly.

"You can't separate us!" Clair and Colt all but cried out, pulling each other into a tight embrace.

"Alright, alright, no need to fuss, Colt, Clair, you two can head back, wiiiiiiith….Diana."

"NO!" Diana lurched forward, quickly collecting herself, "er, I mean, I want to stay here, by you Quaid! Y'know to uh...keep you saf- I mean...make sure you don't mess everything up…" She looked at Quaid expectantly, a sparkle in her eyes.

"Huh….you seem _really_ emotional today Diana, maybe Ivris was right." She deflated, sighing heavily. "But, that settles that then, Fadahl, you'll take the twins back home, Ivris, Diana, and myself stay here, we can handle oursel-"

The ground beneath them suddenly erupted, shooting up a pillar of flame and dirt into the air. A familiar head of fiery orange hair rose up, attached to an absolute giant of a demon, towering over all of them at what had to be at least ten feet. It's bright red body was chiseled with rippling muscle, six arms extending out from its torso, all wielding a different, equally large bladed weapon.

"Hey guys!" It greeted happily," did ya finish fighting those demons!?"

"Ah shit!" Colt lamented.

"This guy again!?" Ivris demanded, Fadahl grinned at her beneath his cowl.

"I did tell you we'd meet him here."

"Yeah, it's only the gods damned fourth time _today_!"

"Sushi! I am one-hundred and ten percent done with your shit!" Quaid raged at the demon.

"It's actually Shusui, the war demon. I seek to test your-"

"Y'know what Sushi!? You can test the whitest part of my ass! I'm out, the rest of you deal with this, I'll defend Karna Masta myself!" Quaid stormed off, leaving the whole group stunned.

"Did he….did he _actually_ leave?" Fadahl asked, shocked for once, "I didn't even tell him who it was he was looking for."

"AWW, but I wanna fight the strong guy!" Shusui lamented.

"Hey! You think he's-"

"-The only strong one here!?" Colt and Clair demanded, drawing their weapons.

"Wha- DO YOU WANNA FIGHT ME!?" The demon asked, delighted.

"COLT, CLAIRE, NO!" Diane cried out.

"YEAH WE WANNA FIGHT, WE'LL SHOW YOU!" The twins shouted in unison.

"YAYYY!" Shusui yelled happily. Then he turned to the remaining three. "Hey Guardians?" He asked, unfazed, "have you finished fighting those demon-"

"NO!"

…

"So everyone, what do you think of my new outfit?" Ruby twirled in place before the other Oracle Knights, showing off what was basically her traditional few scraps of cloth, just with a few new additional rings and bangles dangling from her arms and neck.

"It's the same exact thing you always wear though," Yuura remarked, as honest as ever. Rinon sneered.

"You're so rude Yuura, don't you know how to speak to a lady?" Yuura shrugged, turning back to Ruby.

"I do think the new rings look quite nice though."

"They're stupid rings," Rinon muttered under her breath, glaring at Yuura the whole time.

"Now now, play nice you two," Ark insisted, biting into his sandwich.

"THE MIGHTY BALGRAN APPROVES!" Balgran announced boisterously, his voice echoing within his own helmet.

"I think it looks rather nice…" Medina stated, her voice little more than a mere whisper.

"Mmmhmm, look's good Rubes. Say, anyone seen Ilia?" Ark asked through a mouthful of bread and ham.

"I think she said she was heading into town to stock up on food and water, she'll probably stay the night there knowing her." Dion informed him, casually running a cloth over the surface of his twin blades.

"HEY ASSHOLES!" Came a voice from over the hill they were picnicking at. Everyone stopped mid-action, turning to see the newcomer walking up over the hill. His hair was a shaggy green mess, his vest and billowy white pants covered in scorch marks, a crimson scarf blowing in the wind around him.

"Umm….can we help yo…..oh god, y'know this ham sucks, which one'a you made this?" Ark demanded, ignoring the new man and holding his sandwich in the air accusingly.

"Uh, me, Ark," Dion piped up, raising his hand eagerly. Ark rolled his eyes.

"Next punishment I can stick you with Dion, you're gettin' it. Anyway who the hell are you now?" The newcomer raised a long, silver bladed sword towards the group, assuming a threatening stance, prepared for combat.

"Name's Quaid, leader of the Guardians of Meirith. I've received word that you folks plan on trying to kill Karna Masta." Ark raised an eyebrow, glancing between the six others gathered around him, who all shrugged in turn.

"Uh...no, not really." Ark placed a hand to his chin, thoughtful. "Though now that you say it, it _would_ be a really good solution to our problems…" Quaid's eye twitched as Ark suddenly took on a very contemplative look, stroking his chin. "Yeah, yeah that could work! What better way to show the gods what for than to kill actual God?"

"Sounds good to me," Rinon chimed in.

"I'm all for it," Yuura agreed.

"Nevermind it's a stupid plan," Rinon retorted.

"Alright all in agreeance?" Ark received nods all around, he smiled, wiping crumbs from his face with a kerchief. "Awesome, we'll leave in the morning, thanks Quaid!" Quaid's eye twitched, he pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing deeply.

"Fadahl, buddy, can't help but feel like ya really dropped the ball on this one. Okay look," he called, addressing all of the Oracle Knights, "I'll fight the champion among you, and if I win in a fight, then you _don't_ go to fight Karna Masta, sound like a deal?" Ark took another thoughtful bite of his sandwich, mulling over the idea.

"Alright," he began, swallowing loudly, "well I _would_ kick your ass myself," he assured confidently. "But...punishments, punishments…" He looked over Quaid, studying him with a critical eye.

"THE MIGHTY BALGRAN SHALL SLAY THIS CRETIN FOR YOUR SIR!"

"I...I would rather like to fight him," Medina stated shyly, her meager voice completely ignored.

"I'll take the cutie," Ruby offered, drawing her twin blades from the holsters across her back.

"I'll end him in five minutes," Rinon offered.

"I think I would do an exceptional job against him," Yuura piped up.

"Nevermind let Yuura fight the asshole," Rinon spat.

"DION WILL BE MY CHAMPION!" Dion perked up at Ark's voice, pushing off the log he'd been sitting on, glancing over at the Oracle Knight.

"You sure boss?"

"Yeah," Ark assured, his mouth full, "this is what you get for making such terrible sandwiches. Besides, you'll be fine, you've been whooped so many times by the very best that this guy will seem like nothing." Dion grinned.

"Yeah, you _destroyed_ me. Alright Quaid, you're on!" Quaid's eyes narrowed, he turned to Ark.

"You're….You're serious? _This_ guy?"

"Hi." Dion greeted.

"Yeah, I mean, I _could_ do it, but I like to give my enemies a fighting chance," Ark bragged, reclining against the now vacant stump.

"Oh, you have no idea who you're talking to buddy, you'd be surprised how powerful us Guardians are," Quaid stated confidently, raising his blade up over his head.

"Whoo boy Quaid, you have no idea who we work for if you make threats like that," Dion scoffed proudly. Quaid chuckled to himself, grinning darkly.

"Well Dion, with that attitude, you obviously know nothing of the power I serve. Prepare yourself!"

Quaid lunged forwards, stabbing at Dion, who threw up one sword to block, catching Quaid's attack and locking their blades together. With his other weapon he stabbed, aiming for Quaid's chest. Quaid used his free arm to bash it aside, the blade deflecting off his metal arm guard. Quaid then landed a hard punch across Dion's face, knocking him away and giving some berth.

"Guys, I'd get out of the way, this might get messy," Dion insisted. The Oracle Knights, at Ark's command, scurried off, moving to a safe distance. Collateral free, Dion struck both his blades across the ground, both engulfing instantly in energy, one blue, one gold, before settling into a ready position. "Alright 'guardian', let's dance!"

Their blades connected, sparks really flying now. Dion put both blades into forcing Quaid down, grinning as Quaid quickly buckled, lowering himself quickly to one knee.

"I've got ya now!" Quaid smiled at the comment.

"Do you?" Even as he spoke the color and power winked out of the twin blades. All at once Quaid's sword was engulfed in a searing red light, casting his face in ominous shadow.

 _That is so cool!_ Dion thought to himself, awed.

"W..whatever, you think that scares me?" Dion challenged, leaping back out of the entanglement. He'd forgotten what it was like to fight somebody that hadn't floored him by now. He let out a deep breath, settling into his usual knightly mindset. "Let's see how you fare against my signature, Gryps Tempest!"

Dion struck both swords against the ground again, this time summoning up a fierce whirlwind of green energy. Quaid held his ground as the wind consumed him, he grit his teeth at the razor wind that surrounded him, Dion burst through the tempest, his expression ferocious now as he lashed out.

His strikes weren't particularly powerful, but they came fast, faster than Quaid could easily follow, not like he didn't appreciate a challenge. His movements turned fluid, Dion seemed like he was coming from all directions but Quaid was following him like a hawk. His blade moved as if with a will of its own, catching each and every strike and deflected them. Then a flaring pain erupted across his ankles, he hissed, stabbing down and landing a glancing blow on Dion as he retreated once more.

Growling in frustration, Quaid raised his sword towards the heavens. The storm around him dissolved, turning into mere wisps of green and gold light, which were swiftly sucked into his blade, which devoured them greedily. Then the storm was clear, and Quaid dropped to his knees, taking a moment to assess the damage done. His ankles howled their misery at him, and he just smiled through it.

"There's something...intoxicating about finding an opponent that can deal some _damage_ to you…" Dion took a moment to breathe, wiping a streak of blood from his cheek where Quaid had nicked him. His mind was already making some observations of its own.

 _He's a very instinctive fighter, astute, but relies heavily on his movement in a fight, aim for the legs, stop that movement._

Quaid rose up now, savoring the intoxicating heat pulsing from the open wounds across the backs of his legs, it was no longer mere pain, it was an irritation, a drive to stop standing still, to start _moving._

"Val Nils the Sword!" The light over Quaid's blade vanished, he raised it threateningly towards Dion, and a golden light _burst_ from within the sword, encasing the blade in enchanting light. "Well, you've shown that you can deal the damage, now can you take it?"

Dion had no time to react as Quaid disappeared into thin air then reappeared directly in front of him, moving faster than should be humanly possible. His sword erupted in flames over the gold light, he jabbed and slashed, scoring a scathing blow along Dion's exposed arm, filling the air with the sound of sizzling flesh. Dion gave a shrill cry, reeling back to nurse the charred gash across his arm, but Quaid didn't grant him respite. He charged after Dion and stabbed, Dion parried the blow, brushing Quaid's arm aside. Quaid swung his other arm up, a fist crashing up into Dion's chin and knocking the knight right off his feet.

Dion was stunned at the extraordinary power suddenly packed into Quaid's arm, but couldn't debate it long as Quaid loomed over him, ready to drive the sword down into his chest. He drove his blade into Quaid's unarmored ankle, rolling out from under him and pulling Quaid's feet out. The Guardian dropped like a sack of stones, the blade thoroughly embedded in his ankle. Dion pressed a foot to Quaid's knee, trying to pry his sword loose, but the edged blade refused to budge. Quaid's eyes lit up, his skin reddening as blood and fury pulsed through him. He was somehow on his feet in an instant, his skewered leg barely phasing him, there was savagery in his eyes now.

He swung at Dion, who had to jump back, trying to get his bearings without his other sword in hand, an inkling of doubt brewing in the pit of his stomach. This was normally around the time that his enemies _stopped_ being able to move. This one on the other hand, this one seemed to just be getting started. He held his sword with both hands, cracking his neck. He was going to have to play the long game.

They exchanged blows with their swords, sparks shearing off in every direction. Dion's arms screamed, Quaid was hitting harder by the second, his blows becoming overwhelming at an alarming rate, but he fought through it.

"What's the matter Quaid? Feeling a little weak in the knees?" Dion taunted, hoping that if he angered the Guardian enough, that he'd open his guard up. Quaid's eyes flashed again, his free hand balling into a fist, _that was it!_ Dion moved to strike the exposed side, only to find his attack blocked, and his second sword absent from his hands. Not about to be outdone, Dion took the punch, eyes rattling as his head _exploded_ in pain, but he didn't sway, instead staying close, wrapping a hand around his other sword, twisting it in Quaid's leg. Quaid hissed as the blade caused his ankle to scream in pain, the ridged blade anchoring in his flesh like a barbed arrow. A roar tore free of his throat and he slashed at Dion, quick as a flash, tearing a bloody gash over Dion's chest before the knight could fully retreat.

"Okay, Quaid I'm gonna have to ask you to just _stop_." Dion requested, holding a hand to his chest as hot blood poured out of it. Quaid roared again, absolutely red in the face now as he jumped forward. Dion sighed. "Of course I'm always more than willing to stop you myself." Dion launched a roundhouse kick, slamming directly into Quaid's chest and stopping the Guardian in midair. Quaid choked out a clot of blood, his eyes unbelieving. "Sorry Quaid, but given a knight's touch, the body responds even when the mind is too stubborn to admit it's faults. Now, I do believe it's time we end this, bear witness, to the Pulsating Green Heaven." Dion pulled his foot away, letting Quaid drop, and slammed his foot into the ground, stirring up a fresh storm of light around them, the whistle of its deadly wind more like the roar of a beast in his ears. The light wrapped around Quaid, suspending him in the air, and Dion leapt, riding the winds and allowing the, to carry him. Clutching his sword with both hands, he attacked.

He struck and moved with all the force of the storm, his form moving too quickly to follow, seeming formless, disappearing and reappearing from all angles. His blade sang a deadly song, accented by blood, even Quaid's most wholehearted attempts to break free of the winds binding him did nothing to stop the onslaught. Dion made a pass to run Quaid through, when Quaid found the strength to finally break through, with a piercing scream the winds around him dispersed, and he sidestepped Dion as he sped forwards. Dion felt a hand wrap around his foot and he was flung back, slamming into the ground.

Shock overtook him as the winds died down around them, absorbed all at once seemingly effortlessly Quaid's sword. Quaid was little more than bloody meat at this point, riddled with cuts and dripping crimson blood to soak the emerald grass underfoot. And he was just _smiling._

"You're….done. DELTA HORIZON!" Quaid's sword once more burst with golden light, which extended to twice the length of the blade itself. His pale blue eyes shifted, one to a brilliant gold, and the other a piercing violet, the elements brimmed in his body, flooding his senses. He surged forwards, the blade burying itself in Dion's chest. The knight's mouth hung open, a silent scream on his lips that wouldn't break out. Quaid tore Val Nils free, ready to end it, when he felt another stinging sensation in his shoulder. He looked down to find that second sword of Dion's plunged into it, he glared at Dion, who quivered in fright.

"I'm going to break you." Dion whimpered, wilting under those terrifyingly demonic eyes. Quaid pulled his arm back, prepared to thrust into Dion's heart, the knight clamped his eyes shut.

"TIME OUT!" Quaid felt an explosive force connect with the side of his head, sending him flying several feet. He held his hands out and used the momentum to flip himself back to his feet. Whirling around he found Ark, two black and white broadswords in hand. "Yeah, sorry but I had to step in, you're a good fighter and all Quaid, but if Dion dies, I lose my dry cleaner, my sandwich maker, _and_ a fighter, in that order. Also," Ark's fist shot out, clipping Dion in the temple, instantly knocking him unconscious, "only _I_ am allowed to beat Dion."

"So...we're done here? You'll...stay clear...of Karna Masta?" Quaid wheezed out, exhaustion mounting in him. Ark chuckled.

"Well I can't help but notice that _you_ didn't land the final blow." Quaid snarled, the adrenaline flowing unbridled back into his veins.

"Oh that, is low, that Ark, is _low_." Ark snickered, amused.

"Yes indeed, and what are you going to do, stop me?" Ark thrust his chest forward, challenging. Quaid drew himself up to his full height, staggering slightly as his wounds started to creep up on him. That knight had killed him anyway, he wasn't walking away at this rate, might as well go out fighting.

"I guess...I'll have to." Ark looked taken aback at the statement, even more so as Quaid reached up, and _tore_ the barbed blade out of his shoulder, absolutely ruining any chance he had of using the arm ever again once he'd regained sensation.

"Uhhh...Quaid?" Quaid ignored him, reaching down, and with a grunt of effort tearing out the blade in his ankle as well, dropping the weapons in the dirt. "I get the distinct impression that you're mad at me."

"Alright Ark...you ready...to be made a Guardian's bitch?" Ark stopped, his eyes narrowing, very serious now.

"Oh. Okay. I see how it is Quaid. You want to go out like a dog. Very well, I'm more than happy to oblige."

Without ceremony Ark struck out, bringing down one blade to split Quaid's skull. With a sound more beast than man Quaid swung to counter, their blades making contact...and Ark's spun flying out of his hand. Ark stared at his now empty hand. He blinked. Twice.

"Huh."

….

"THE MIGHTY BALGRAN HAS FIFTY ZEL ON THE QUAID FELLOW WUSSING OUT!"

"I'll put fifty on that as well," Medina added, the slightest, comfortable smile on her lips as she tossed her coins into the pile.

"I've got a hundred on Arky gutting that cutie Quaid like a fish," Ruby purred, dropping two of her rings into the pot.

"I've got fifty with Ruby on this one," Rinon exclaimed, excited.

"I believe I'll put two hundred on Ark braining the man as well," Yuura offered, Rinon huffed.

"Well _I've_ got five hundred that Quaid beats the stuffing out of him." The group quieted instantly.

"Really Rinon," Ruby rolled her eyes, "are you so spiteful-" One of Ark's swords embedded itself in the ground before them.

"Holy….shit," they all said in unison.

Rinon raked in the pile of zel.

….

"Arky-pooh are you alright!?" Ruby cried out, breathless as she arrived on the scene.

"Yes I'm...I'm fine Rubes, just a bit shocked is all, Quaid's a strong one." Ark complimented. He turned to Quaid, who still stood ready, golden blade in hand, skin nearly red with fury. "It's a shame you didn't get to us before Dion, fighter like you, I'd recruit in a heartbeat. As it is, it's getting a bit hot in here." Ark reached behind his back, cutting the strap that held his armor in place, letting the suit fall to the floor.

"Ruby is everything alri…" Rinon trailed off, watching Ark intently. The Oracle Knight pulled his shirt off, dropping it to the ground with a heavy thud. He sighed, contentedly.

"Weighted clothes, you know how it is Quaid, now, where were we?" Ark was an _adonis_ , his body absolutely bursting with lean, cut muscle.

"I've...I've never seen him do this before," Yuura remarked, the rest of the knights arriving now. "I can't help but feel this is poor judgement Ark."

"This is the greatest idea you've ever had," Rinon remarked, drooling.

"I want him to have my babies," Medina mewed quietly.

"THE MIGHTY BALGRAN HAS HEARD TALES OF THE LEGENDARY FOURTEEN PACK! TRULY YOU ARE A MAN WORTHY OF BALGRAN'S LOYALTY SIR ARK!"

 _Greatest...day...of...my life,_ Ruby thought to herself, her mouth incapable of forming a sound as her knees all but buckled beneath her.

"Are you _quite_ done?" Quaid demanded impatiently, assuming a ready stance again.

"QUAID I THINK I DROPPED THE BALL ON THIS ONE!" Quaid turned to the source of the voice to find the last thing he'd expected to see again running at him, the Guardians! The twins were the first to arrive at his side, eager as ever, weapons drawn.

"Alright Quaid, where's this-"

"-Oracle Knight at then?" They both took one look at Ark before them, brother and sister exchanging a brief look before speaking in unison.

"OH MY GODS HE'S HOT!"

"Who's the brick shithouse?" Diane sneered in disgust, pulling in close to Quaid.

"Quaid I leave you for five minutes and you get your ass shredded? This is why I don't trust Themie with any of you," Ivris remarked, preparing a healing spell for their leader, but he stopped her.

"I'm fine Ivris, and it's good to see you all, but we have a job to do."

"Quaid," Fadahl repeated, tugging at Quaid's sleeve, "I...I think I dropped the ball."

"I know Fadahl, I know. Now it's time to clean up the mess."

"A warming reunion and all, but I do believe you see I got quite prepared here, so are you quite ready Guardians?" Ark asked, the Oracle Knights all drawing their weapons in unison to stand by their leader. Quaid looked beside him to his fellows, smiling to himself. Reaching up with his blade, he opened a shallow cut along his wrist, allowing the blood to pour out over his blade. "Uh, Quaid? I'm all for my opponent's saving me the trouble and kicking their own asses, but this is getting edgy."

"Comes with the territory Ark. Now, the real question here is, are _you_ ready? NANDIKESHVARA'S END!" The Guardian's were all bathed in the glow of Val Nils' blade, a golden aura surrounding them as they drew up alongside Quaid ready for battle. Quaid grinned at Ark, whose face twitched momentarily with doubt. "Shall we?"

 **Breakdown**

Okay, this was actually very difficult to judge as far as fights go, both fighters have a very impressive skill set. However, after having used them both extensively over the past few weeks, I find it difficult to say which one would honestly prevail, Dion is capable of tremendous damage when he lands a critical hit, but I've seen the sheer survivability that Quaid boasts in the face of that kind of damage. On top of that as well, as powerful as crits are, they are still quite randomized both in their occurrence and the damage they do, and I just can't see Quaid being felled by one or two shots. No matter how many times I played a fight between the two of them out, it ended with one of them dying quickly, it would either be Dion striking something vital and just ending the fight instantly, or Quaid surviving one strike and suddenly becoming an absolute demon, and in the end I think that made for a better story.

 **And the Winner is**

 **QUAID**

...

 **Season's Greetings Everyone!**

Hey everybody, Varthan here again. Sorry I took so long between last updating, it's been a bit of a tumultuous time for me, but I'm back now. I hope you enjoyed all the chaos that was this piece, if it's not readily apparent I've been plowing through Ishgria lately and...friggin Sushi. I started writing knowing that I wanted to go into a bit of depth with both batches of units, and it spiraled from there. For those of you that read The Blade of Lucius, you'll see that I'm just no longer capable of taking Ark seriously, and I kind of embraced that here, so lemme know what you all think! Now the outcome of this fight is all a matter of opinion, I think that both fighters had an equal chance of winning, and personally I actually prefer Dion as a fighter, Quaid just smacks of generic to me, at least his lore states what Dion ended up fighting, and I think anybody willing to actually fight God deserves some respect. Many thanks to LunarRin in the comments for the idea, I hope you enjoyed it despite the outcome buddy. As always, be sure to leave some feedback on what you like and what you don't. I'm going to be setting up the chapters alternating between my own ideas and picks from the comments, so be sure to leave any ideas you guys have and I'll let you know if yours gets picked. Anyways, I'll see you all next time, for one of my own choices, **Edea Vs. Reeze!**


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